Allegheny, 1938
Raymond Shafer was an Honorary Inductee to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame in 2002.
Raymond Shafer was a three-sport athlete earning nine varsity letters in basketball, soccer and track at Allegheny College. While at Allegheny he majored in political science, was class president each year, student body president in his senior year and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He later graduated from Yale Law School in 1941.
After earning his law degree Shafer entered the United States Navy as a Naval intelligence officer. During World War II he was commanding officer of over 80 combat missions on PT Boats and he also served as an executive officer of Squadron 27. During his combat in the Pacific theater Shafer earned the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
After the war Shafer practiced law and taught at Allegheny College. His public political career began in 1947, when he was elected district attorney of Crawford County. He was then elected Lieutenant Governor and in 1966, he was elected Governor of Pennsylvania. During his term as governor Shafer made the most recent revisions to the Pennsylvania state constitution. Shafer also oversaw construction of the Interstate Highway System in Pennsylvania. Shafer remained popular with voters until he sought Pennsylvania's first state income tax in order to balance the budget.
Shafer then moved to national politics as an unofficial leader of Pennsylvania’s Republican state party. Although Shafer desired the federal judgeship appointment, President Nixon appointed Shafer as chairman of the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse. Shafer regained popularity with some voters, but was strongly criticized by many conservatives after the panel recommended the decriminalization of marijuana use. From 1974 to 1977, he served as counselor to Vice President Nelson Rockefeller. He was elected to the Board of Trustees of Allegheny College in 1964 and served as its president from 1985 to 1986.
Shafter died at age 89 on December 12, 2006.